Archive for the ‘creatures of both realms’ Category

Face To Face, Encounters With Jesus, is a series of my individual visions and prophetic encounters, face to face with the Lord Jesus Himself, in Heavenly Realms. It is a progression into intimacy with Jesus, our Bridegroom King. The chapters are like photos from an engagement album, beginning with the early days of love’s first awakening and ending with the wedding day.

This relationship is available to all believers in Christ. I pray that as you read my experiences, you may be able to enter into them and ascend into Heavenly realms also. Once there, Jesus will take you on journeys of your own.

Come, He is waiting !

[All proceeds from this book will go to Iris Global, an International Mission founded by Rolland and Heidi Baker, with whom we have been privileged to minister.]

Worship had begun in the small home group meeting and the presence of Jesus was filling the room. I closed my eyes to focus on Him and He immediately surprised me by saying, “So, where shall we go?” Then He grinned and said, “Why don’t we just jump off the high diving board?”

I hardly had time to think. Instantly I saw myself climbing up a very high ladder and walking carefully out to the end of a diving board. By now I knew I was in the Spirit since I never would have done that in the natural. I stood there for a moment trying to get up the nerve to jump. Suddenly, from behind me, Jesus came running down the board, grabbed me in His arms, launching us into the air and we landed in the ocean below! It was so surprising and wild that I almost laughed out loud and had to cover my face with my hands! Laughing, He took my hand and we began to swim deeper and further out until the shoreline disappeared. I looked at Him and said, “You know I really can’t swim!” and He just laughed and said, “It’s o.k., you don’t need to. You’re with Me.” On and on we swam, further out and deeper still. The deeper we went, the lighter it became, not darker as I would have thought. And as the light increased, so did the glory.

At that point in the vision, the natural realm and the Heavenly realm began to overlap. I started to feel a great concern for Kevin, a young man in the group who was experiencing a great deal of trouble. I really wanted to just take him with me, out here in the ocean and let Jesus minister to him. I didn’t want to seem inappropriate but we were all close friends, so finally I got up and went to the other end of the room where he was sitting. I whispered to him, “I just want to lay my hand on your shoulder and try to be a sort of channel between you and Heaven. Is that o.k.?”

“Oh yes, that’s fine.” he said, ” I trust you.”

So I knelt behind his chair and just put my hand on his shoulder. I really wasn’t even praying for his needs but only asking Jesus to take him away and minister to him. At the same time, Jesus and I were still swimming in the ocean. The glory was so very deep.

Suddenly we began to swim upward to the surface. When we broke through the water, we were in the Throne Room, standing on the Sapphire Sea! There was so much light and so much glory that tears were pouring down my face. Jesus was so beautiful and bright with light streaming from Him in every direction.

When the light began to subside, I noticed that we had brought Kevin with us as well! He was lying nearby on the “sea” in a fetal position with his head down like a sleeping infant. Jesus looked at him with so much compassion. But it was interesting. There was compassion but not concern. He knew what He would do and that Kevin would be all right. He motioned to a large angel nearby who picked Kevin up like a baby and carried him right to the Father on the Throne. As Father saw him coming He had the same compassion in His voice as He said, “Come here, my son!” Then He took Kevin in His big arms like a baby and just held him close.

Jesus turned His attention back to me now as we began to dance on the Sapphire Sea. It was wonderful ball room dancing, on the sea and up in the air, turning and twirling and landing again. Then I heard the worship leader from our home group and I knew he must be there somewhere dancing as well. He was breathlessly laughing, playing his guitar and singing, “dancing with You, twirling and spinning”!

There are times when the 2 realms overlap. Since we were created from the dust of this earth and the very breath of God, we have the ability to walk in both realms, sometimes even simultaneously. There are also times when we can take others with us or when the Lord chooses to take a whole group away together in His presence as He did in Exodus 24: 9-11. He’s very creative!

Always remember – there are no limitations in the Spirit. And in the Spirit, you can fly. (Isa.40:31, 2 Cor.12: 2-4)

* For more on this subject, see the category Creatures Of Both Realms on this blog.

In a dream I seemed to be in a large aquarium, something like Sea World. I was with a group of people in a spacious underground room where there were sofas and chairs scattered around. The group of people was small compared to the room.

Instead of the usual large aquarium that was behind a glass wall at eye level, this one was just a couple of feet above our heads and we were looking up to see the fish. There were many beautiful varieties of fish and other sea creatures but no predators. My attention was drawn to a group of small sea turtles coming my direction. They were about the size of dinner plates. As they drew near I happened to see some of their feet poking through the water into the air around me! Startled, I reached up and touched the water. I had assumed I was underneath a glass ceiling but this was obviously not the case! I poked my hand right up through the water and pulled it back again, laughing. I wasn’t getting splashed or wet at all and no drops were falling on me but there was no barrier between me and the water world above. It was staying where it belonged but it was obvious that I could have gone up into it at will. The other people in the room seemed to understand this and were not frightened by it. They merely smiled at my discovery.

Then one of the others handed me their baby to look after for awhile. He was an adorable little thing and came to me gladly. While I was carrying him around I noticed some seats at a higher level near the water above, so I took him up there. He was delighted with the water and being able to see the fish up close just above him. Laughing, he put his hands up into the water to play with them. I found it interesting that he accepted the water above and the fish gladly with no fear, as if it was normal.

Now I heard a piano and recognized the voice of a favorite worship leader from the International House of Prayer in Kansas City, USA. Picking up the baby, I went to join the crowd that had now gathered around the piano in this room under the aquarium.

When I awoke from this strange dream, the Lord began to explain it to me. It was a reminder once again of just how close His realm really is and how easily it can be accessed. There was no barrier between this realm and the Heavenly realm. The veil wasn’t just thin – it didn’t even exist!

There were only a few people who chose to be in this place. To everyone else, what we were experiencing was considered impossible. Taking care of the baby was a picture of leading the young ones higher, caring for them and introducing them to the Spirit realm. These young ones accept it as quite normal.

The worship leader was meant to help us make the transition from our realm (in the lower room) up into the higher realm (in the water). In this case, going from the natural realm here up into the Spirit realm.

Shortly after this dream, the Lord chose to underline it for me once again. I was sitting in a large worship gathering when I noticed that one of the singers on the platform was wearing red sequin shoes that glittered under the lights. I giggled and thought “Hmmm, Dorothy’s ruby slippers! (from the Wizard of Oz) Now what would You like to say to me about that, Lord?” And He quickly replied, “There’s no place like home! And you know that your home is here in My realm with Me.”
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There is a place of peace that is unnatural to this realm. It is a peace in the midst of the storm, a peace in spite of circumstances. It cannot be understood by the natural mind and must be accessed and nurtured by the spirit.

It can come at the oddest times. Or so it seems. When things around you are very stressful and so many facts and options and ideas are pressing against you, demanding your attention, there comes a breath of something totally unrelated. It may be a memory or a fragrance that suddenly takes you back to another time or place. Or it may come at a time when you are just involved in your daily routine. But suddenly there is something different in your spirit, an instant quietness as if everything was just dialed down. For a few brief seconds you are able to see and sense things you could not before. Your spiritual eyes are opened to see into Heavenly realms.

When God pulls back the veil ever so slightly, eternity comes rushing in to envelop us. Then we realize once again that it was there all the time but we did not see. Like the mountains which surround the valley I live in, they are always there. But on a cloudy day they are completely invisible. It is only when the clouds roll back that their snowy peaks appear against the blue sky in such brilliance it brings tears to my eyes as I “look unto the hills from whence comes my help”. (Ps.121:1)

There is a hidden path of peace that we must find and learn to stay there. If you are very sensitive and anticipating His slightest touch, His hand will guide you and keep you on that path. Any feelings of anxiety are usually indications that you’re looking in the wrong direction, considering options that are not on the path set for you. “Thou will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee” (Isa.26:3)

There are moments when He breaks in so quietly and softly that we could easily miss it. They are invitations, like a hand reaching down. We can take His hand and escape with Him as He leads us into the perfect way He has planned for us. When these moments happen and we feel that Divine peace flooding in, we must pay attention and recognize that this is God, not something natural. It will take some effort to do this. If we ignore those moments as they flit past us, we are engulfed once again with the cares of this life and in a short time we have forgotten the small nudge from the Spirit.

We must pursue those moments when they come to us. Stop. Just stop where you are and be still, completely still. Search for that small opening like a light at the end of the tunnel and focus all your attention on it. Feel your emotions and mind and body relax completely in His presence and enter into His realm which was this close all along. Now you can go where He takes you and receive whatever He has for you. Even if you don’t quite make it into a vision or hear His voice, you will still become more aware of Him and His realm and it will have a profound and ongoing effect on you.

Recently I read a prophetic word online that brought such a rush of sweetness to my spirit. It said this:

“The seasons of time have changed. Eternity is now flooding into time. I am calling you into the ‘no time’ zone, the realm of eternity within you.”

We were created to be creatures of both realms – the earth realm and the heavenly realm. He has placed eternity in our hearts. (Ecc.3:11 NIV)

Oh God, I pray that You would make us increasingly AWARE of Your Presence and Your realm all around us.

The music of worship floated around me with such peace. I leaned back to rest my head against the chair and entered deeper into the Spirit. Suddenly, Jesus was standing before me smiling. He took my hand and said, “Come with Me.” Immediately, we were strolling through the galaxies!

The sky was dark as I would have expected, but since He is light, everything was very visible. We seemed to be walking or just floating there in space watching the stars and planets pass by. I was shocked at how colorful they were … red and blue and pink and purple! It’s not something I’ve studied and it took me completely by surprise. Then somewhere back in my memory I recalled seeing photos from NASA of nebula in bright pinks and purples. After this experience I found them on Google images and was overwhelmed to view online much of what I had just experienced in the reality of a vision.

Also surprising to me was that each planet was also emitting a sound. This was like music and yet not so. It was more of a vibration, like a large stringed instrument just resonating on its own when another instrument near it was played. Each planet had a different pitch and they were all in harmony. (My husband grew up in the North and remembers seeing the Northern lights in the winter and actually hearing the sounds they made which were like whirling vibrations.)

As the Lord and I drew nearer to a certain galaxy the noise increased until it was like an orchestra holding one long note that kept getting louder. Amazed, I realized they were responding to their Creator with praise! I remembered the scripture about the morning stars singing together. (In Job 38:7 the Lord is explaining what happened during creation.)

During this time I was only an observer and Jesus spoke no words to me. However, the meaning He conveyed was one of an eternal perspective. How small and insignificant the earth and all its cares seemed from that vantage point. How small my own earthly cares seemed. I had access to the Creator of the universe who holds it all in His hands.

How short our earthly lives are, compared to our eternal lives. And how closely the two are linked together. Day by day in our earthly lives we are building for eternity and laying up treasure there which will last forever. (Matt 6:19-21)

Once you have experienced the reality of God, once you have had a glimpse into Heavenly realms it changes everything. It changes your perspective of this world and your place in it. Now you know that His realm is true reality. You have tasted of the world to come and you see the deception and the traps of this world. Once you have seen and experienced the reality of Heavenly realms, nothing in this realm can ever compare.

That does not mean that we sit here impatiently waiting for someday in Heaven. It means that we are looking for opportunities to bring His kingdom here now … on earth as it is in Heaven. (Matt. 6:10) It means that we have a desire to lead others into the same revelation. It also means that we are motivated to do everything He has put us here to do.

At some point you begin to live there in His realm with Him, knowing that this world is not your home (Heb.11:13-16), while you travel back and forth with Him between realms. Like the bride in the Song of Solomon, you live there in the mountains with Him, then you come leaning on His arm, into the vineyards to check on the fruit and into the fields to gather the harvest. And when each day is done you return home with Him to your Father’s house. Jesus said, “I am not of this world and they (My disciples) are not of this world” (John 17:14). Peter called us citizens of Heaven. (Phil,3:20 Amp).

Having this mindset will help us to see that we are truly His ambassadors here. Having an ambassadorial status will get us into whatever country He sends us to and give us favor and safety there. We carry the authority of the King of all Kings and we are here to do His bidding.

Why is it so easy for us to become deceived by this world system and feel that we are trapped in it? Satan is the father of lies (John 8:44) and he deals chiefly in deception and half-truths. We are not trapped here. In fact, we are free to fly away with the Lord. (Rev. 4:1, John 17:24) [We have already spoken much of this in the sections on Creatures of Both Realms and On-Ramps into Heavenly Realms.]

Have you ever seen a barnyard goose in the autumn when the wild geese begin to migrate? The goose was born to fly. But he has been so domesticated that he is too fat to fly very far. His wings may even have been clipped, preventing him from gaining much height. He hears the wild geese calling and looks up in the sky. Something within him responds and he honks back at them. He may even run and flap his wings but he no longer has the power to really fly. He was born in captivity and that’s all he knows. It’s sad to see people like that. But it doesn’t have to be. You wouldn’t have that longing in you if it wasn’t out there for you!

Remember the old cartoon about Foghorn Leghorn the big rooster and Henry the little chicken hawk? Henry kept going into the chicken house trying to steal chickens that were three times his size. The rooster kept throwing him out and telling him “You’re no chicken hawk, boy. You’re just a chicken.” But the little one knew who he was and always came back answering “No, I’m a chicken hawk and chicken hawks eat chickens.” Rise up and be who God has created you to be! It may take some practice and discipline to get back in shape, but He has a destiny for you to fulfill and that is proof enough that He will empower you to do it.

We seem to only have a vague concept of eternity, just enough to accept it as a part of our doctrine. But often we live as though this life was all there is. Our actions and language reflect this. Sometimes people who are parting from loved ones are afraid they will never see each other again. If you are both Believers you will have forever together! That’s much longer than this temporary lifetime on earth. This life is very short and temporary. (Ps. 103:15) That’s why this earth and everything in it is called temporal. (2 Cor. 4:18)

Sometimes as people get older they begin to consider their mortality and think of eternal things. But this is not an age related issue. When you know you are only here temporarily, you want to do all you can with the time you have been given. And we are only temporary visitors in this realm. We have eternity to look forward to and eternity is forever.

In times of great stress here, allow your thoughts to return to what you have seen and experienced in Heavenly realms. If you have no experiences to remember, read about Heaven and eternity in God’s Word. Remember what reality actually is. It is this:

If you belong to Jesus, you have been sent here as His ambassador with His authority to help bring His Kingdom here … now. And when your work here is finished, you will go to your Heavenly home to be with Him, with His angels, with the great cloud of witnesses (Heb. chap.11 and 12) and a great host of your friends and loved ones forever and ever and ever… (Rev. 22:5)

What is it like to be taken away in the Spirit, to walk in Heavenly realms?

It is as though the veils are lifted from our minds and we are suddenly free to know, to see, to experience more than we ever thought possible. The noise around us and within us is finally stilled so that we can hear God’s voice … His thoughts.

Communication in Heaven is often by thought. It is instant and much faster than by word. Words are also used but each word is so alive with wisdom and knowledge that they are like doorways leading to another realm of understanding our mortal minds have never known. “What I know now is only partial; then it will be complete – as complete as God’s knowledge of me.” 1 Cor. 13:12 GNB

In a vision, my husband once found himself in a library in Heaven. As he passed the rows of lovely volumes, the knowledge they contained came flowing out of the covers to him! He found it very difficult to keep walking to his destination because every time he looked at one of the books he not only knew what was in it, but it was downloading knowledge to him at a glance. Such is the nature of wisdom and revelation in that realm. It is given freely. There is nothing there to interfere with God’s original plan for man.

Everyone in Heaven knows all there is to know about each other, yet still they love with the Father’s love. Those who have been forgiven much, love much. There is no hiding but only complete acceptance and freedom.

Often you know the answer as soon as you ask the question. There is no sin there to hinder the flow of the Holy Spirit. Your spirit is fully open to Him. This also implies that the less sin there is in us now, the more knowledge and wisdom can flow to us by the Spirit.

Remember that we do not just hold these promises in the category of “Heaven” – a place where it all comes true when we die. That truth alone is enough to make this life worth living. However, the things we are speaking of are reality in Heaven now. We are invited to go there – now. We are seated with Him there – now. (Eph.2:6) We are allowed access freely before God’s throne by the blood of Jesus – now. (Heb. 4:16)

What are we waiting for?

Oh God, please quiet our troubled hearts and minds. Deliver us from fear and insecurity and all that comes between us and You. And take us away with You!